One of the Largest Multiple Lynchings of the 20th Century: Salisbury, North Carolina

The main image, taken from James Allen’s collection “Without Sanctuary,” depicts one of the largest multiple lynchings of the 20^th century. The other, is another image of the five men before their death. The victims, five African American men including Nease Gillespie, John Gillespie, “Jack” Dillingham, Henry Lee, and George Irwin, were killed on August 3, 1906 in Salisbury, North Carolina. The men were accused of murdering a local family, with the surname Lyerly. The case began in July when 15-year-old Addie Lyerly awoke to the smell of smoke in the family farmhouse. Her mother, father, and two younger siblings had been beaten, axe murdered, and placed on a bed and set on fire. Immediately, neighbors in the surrounding area, and eventually reporters from Salisbury and Charlotte blamed the family’s sharecroppers – the five black men pictured. To support their case, they cited an argument that had occurred months earlier between the black tenant farmers and the Lyerly family as arbitrary proof of an ongoing conflict.

Told that they were waiting in jail for their trial, the men were never actually afforded their rights as citizens. The local newspaper reported that, “there was violence in the air,” and eventually, 2000 people had gathered around the jail, taking justice into their own hands. The description with Allen’s image states that the mob “wrenched [the] five black men from the civil authorities of Salisbury.” Other sources also report that the mob pushed past the jail guards and took the accused men from the jail with their sheer strength in numbers. The New York Times later reported that the victims were tortured with knives before being hanged and then pierced with bullets.

What surprised me after reading more about the photo, was the fact that authorities in North Carolina took “unusual steps” to punish the leaders of mob. The Governor ordered the National Guard to restore order and over 24 suspected leaders were arrested. Some sources report that one of the killers, George Hall, was convicted and sentenced to 15 years at hard labor in the state penitentiary; while others state that no one involved was ever charged. The bodies were left hanging on the street for days, and eventually the men were buried in an unmarked grave. Just like Addie Lyerly, John Gillespie was only 15-years-old when he was hanged.

The position of the photographer is especially interesting in this case because of the media’s role in the act of violence itself. This situation in particular sheds light on a complete lack of liberty for African Americans at the time, and the power of white people, as members of the press or not, to uphold their suspicions and prejudices as truth. The idea that a mob of civilians could completely overthrow national and local authorities with minimal consequences, simply points to the fact that white people seemed to exist above the law during this time. One of the thousands of spectators is pictured, who looks unsurprisingly nonchalant, since the alleged murder of the Lyerly family made the lynching of innocent share croppers feel like justice for many. It’s interesting that with such a large mob present, the image is a close-up, and does not include the large crowds in the periphery. Perhaps the act itself, with its multiple lynchings, was so gruesome that it seemed it should be documented in more detail than the spectators. Not that it changes the ultimate sentiment of the image, as both options would point equally to the societal injustices and the terrorism that was characteristic of the time.    

Other sources: http://raycomnbc.worldnow.com/story/28075136/new-study-on-southern-lynchings-brings-up-ghost-of-rowans-past

http://1906lynching.blogspot.com/2010/03/more-on-story.html